The invention regards an apparatus for performing an animal related operation, comprising drive means for moving an animal related device between an active position for operation within an animal stall and an inactive position substantially removed from the animal stall, and comprising a protection means.
A protective device as recited is known from EP-A-0 717 926.
The protective device of EP-A-0 717 926 is used together with a milking robot having a robot arm. In its inoperative position, the robot arm is arranged outside the animal stall and in an area attainable and devised for operator presence. This publication is directed to eliminating the dangers for operators when the robot arm may suddenly start to activate itself when an unobservant operator is too near. Therefore, the implement is provided with protection means which prevent a person from approaching the robot arm too closely.
In contrast, the problems addressed by the present invention are security of the animal, hygiene protection and security of the equipment. The operation of an animal related device comprises the entry of an animal into a confinement space, whereafter animal related equipment is brought into action. The animal related operation or activity may comprise various treatments, whereby one of the commonest relates to the milking of milking animals. The term also covers other operations which can be related to milking, like for instance the cleaning of udder and teats, or unrelated thereto, as for instance various grooming operations. An animal is brought or brings itself into a confinement space like an animal stall for an animal related operation, after the performing of which the animal is freed from the animal related equipment, which equipment is brought away from the animal in sufficient degree for enabling the animal to leave the confinement space.
The handling may be fully automatic, semi-automatic or manual in the sense, for instance in the case of a milking operation, that the machinery including teatcups is applied and removed by an operator. In all cases, the animal related operation is performed without or with little human supervision. The inventive problem has to do with what happens or may happen if the procedure is prematurely stopped. An example of this is if the vacuum to teatcups in milking equipment fails or breaks down, in which case the teatcups held by the vacuum will often fall off. As the animal will now want to get out of confinement, it would run a risk by the equipment being left within the confinement area. In order not to incommode or even damage the animal, it would therefore be desirable to ensure that the animal related equipment is not left in the way of the animal after the equipment stops operating and while the animal is still in the confinement area. Secondly, a teatcup which falls to the ground may get dirty when falling on to the ground and bring dirt into the milk. Thirdly, the equipment or part thereof risks to be damaged by the animal.
Also in a case when an operator wants to deactivate an animal related operation in course, a similar situation of leaving hindering paraphernalia within the confinement area is to be avoided for animal security and comfort and other reasons.
The problems can be particularly acute in wholly automated animal related equipment, as the degree of human attendance is then at a minimum, and simultaneously the equipment is more complicated and expensive, and should be protected from being damaged by an animal which wants to get free from a animal related machine which no longer milks. Further, there are also hygienic problems involved. The stopping of vacuum during a animal related operation may make the teatcups fall off, reach the ground and collect dirt. Further, milk may fall to the ground, which is very unhygienic.
Even if the equipment is manually handled or semi-automatic, the loss of vacuum may be sudden and the operator not be quite attentive or may be otherwise occupied, so that the teatcups fall on the floor.
The problems mentioned above and other problems are solved by the present invention providing an apparatus for performing an animal related operation, comprising drive means for moving an animal related device between an active position for operation within an animal stall and an inactive position substantially removed from the animal stall, and comprising a protection means, in such a way that the protection means comprise a breaker device having an activatable state arranged at each breaking event to first activate said drive means for moving said animal related device into its inactive position and only then inactivating said drive means.
Thus, if there is some kind of malfunction, including the loss of normal electric current, or a breaking by the operator, the equipment will always be brought out of the way into an inactive position before stopping.
The apparatus may advantageously comprise timer means for maintaining energization of said drive means at breaking events for a substantially predetermined time interval for enabling said moving of said animal related device into said inactive position.
This substantially predetermined time interval may be about 2-6 seconds. Such timer means, which may preferentially be hardware rather than software (due to safety regulations) even in case of a computer-based control system, will enable the system to make a two-step breaking operation when a breaking is provoked.
The drive means for moving the animal related equipment may advantageously be pneumatic means powered by a pneumatic power source. The control of valves etc. may however be performed by electromechanical means. In particular, this is advantageous when milking is an operation enabled by the apparatus, since a milking device needs a vacuum source anyhow. It is then very suitable if the apparatus comprises a pneumatic reserve source activatable for moving the animal related equipment into its inactive position in case of inactivation of the pneumatic power source. The loss of vacuum would otherwise be very frustrating for animal and man.
The drive means for moving the said animal related equipment may, however, also be driven from an electric source, either from the normal or commercial power or by another source. For instance, step motors are sometimes very handy and maniable for control purposes, e.g. for a robot. In that case, some reserve energy source is advantageous, like spring means arranged for returning said animal related equipment to its inactive position in case of loss of power from electric source. Various kinds of spring means are envisageable like helical springs on robot arms for linear movements, or spring casings containing spiral springs when rotating movements are needed. It is also possible to provide battery power in the event of loss of a normal or commercial electric source.
When milking is included in the animal related operation, teatcups of the said animal related equipment may be individually mounted for individual mounting and retraction. The teatcups may then be such that are installed by hand, or they may be mounted by a robot arm. It is then very advantageous if each teatcup is provided with an individual tube means connecting it to further animal related equipment substantially outside the animal related stall, and with individual puller devices powered by said drive means for a sideways retraction of a connected teatcup, which retraction is sufficiently rapid for avoiding the respective teatcup from touching the floor. In an advantageous embodiment, the teatcups may then, at the moment of retraction, be made subject of a short suction via the tube means, for taking care of an amount of milk in the teatcup and for avoiding its spilling on the floor. The animal related device comprises anyone of a teat cleaning means, a teat after-treatment means and a teatcup for milking an animal. Thus, the same problem of leaving an animal confined in a stall together with a more or less bulky, inoperative and embarrassing device exists regardless of the kind of animal related operation which was under performing. The animal may be annoyed and even hurt, and the device may get hurt.
When the device comprises teatcups, they may be individually mounted for individual mounting and retraction. In manual machine milking, the teatcups are connected to a head, in its turn connected to equipment outside the animal stall. It is advantageous, when the teatcups can be automatically drawn off if there is a loss of driving-power. Especially if many animals are being milked at the same time under the surveillance of one or very few operators, the advantage is evident.
Also in semi-automatic and automatic milking devices, the same is true. The teat-cups should be drawn off by retraction means. The retraction means may be individual for each teatcup, if there is a connection tube for each teatcup but if they are connected to a head at short distance and a common connexion tube connects to the animal related equipment outside the stall, the drawing away may be made by a common retraction means. The head may sometimes be joined to a robot arm, the retraction of which will perform the desired function. The retraction means should perform the retraction sufficiently rapidly for avoiding that a teatcup falls to the floor and gets dirty.
The animal related equipment may comprise a retractable robot arm. This is the case both when the arm, as a robot arm, handles the teatcups one by one when mounting them, and when the teatcups are mounted on the robot arm with possibly short tube means, and the removal of the teatcups Was made as the robot arm is retracted from under the animal""udder. By this inventive means, it is assured that regardless of the nature and reason for the breaking of the animal related proceeding, the arm will be drawn out of the animal related stall.
The breaking events may be of various kinds. One representative case is when an operator for some reason finds that the operation should be immediately stopped. The animal may be making noises of dissatisfaction, the reasons of which must be investigated. Another is the loss of main current.